Job-training effort in banking comes to Phoenix in 2015

A nonprofit program to train inner-city adults for banking-industry careers will roll out in metro Phoenix early next year. Positions include tellers, personal banks and customer-service reps.

A Los Angeles-area nonprofit is expanding a program that trains inner-city young adults for banking jobs and likely will begin accepting applications from Phoenix-area residents early next year.(Photo: Getty Images)

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A program to train inner-city adults for banking-industry careers will roll out in metro Phoenix early next year. Positions include tellers, personal banks and customer-service representatives.

The BankWork$ program already operates in Los Angeles and Seattle. Bank of America, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank are providing financial support.

A Los Angeles-area nonprofit is expanding a program that trains inner-city young adults for banking jobs and likely will begin accepting applications from Phoenix-area residents early next year.

BankWork$ on Thursday announced an expansion of the program to three additional metro areas, including Phoenix. It currently operates in Los Angeles and Seattle. The effort aims to introduce young adults from low-income and minority groups to financial-services careers, though the group accepts applicants from anyone, said Ranko Fukuda, a BankWork$ official who serves as a liaison to banks.

Eventually, the program will train people in Phoenix for banking positions including tellers, customer-service representatives and personal bankers. The goal is to expand to at least a dozen cities in the next five years, with 1,500 to 2,000 people annually completing an eight-week course, she said.

BankWork$ provides the training in a partnership with local vocational nonprofits. The group hasn't yet called on Phoenix-area nonprofits to participate.

Bank of America, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo each have pledged $1 million over five years to support the national rollout. All three banks operate in Arizona. The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation also pledged to contribute $1 million. BankWork$ was launched in 2006, beginning in Los Angeles before expanding to Seattle in 2011.

The group will expand to the San Francisco Bay later this year, followed by Phoenix and Portland, Ore., in 2015.

Since its launch in 2006, BankWork$ has placed more than 750 graduates who were hired by banks and other financial institutions, including credit unions. Roughly three in four graduates were still in those jobs one year after their hire dates.

BankWork$ classes are free for participants. The group also offers job-interview practice, placement assistance and ongoing coaching and mentoring. Participants must be 18 years or older, have a high school diploma or GED and be fluent in English, with basic computer skills and no adult felony convictions.

Applications aren't yet being taken. The group plans further announcements in the Phoenix metro area in coming weeks.